Attorney Raneil Smith

While growing up in Bridgeport, Raneil Smith knew in his heart that one day he would be an attorney. Not for the prestige or the money, but so he could help people.

The Warren Harding High School graduate enrolled at Housatonic Community College, which was just down the street from him, and earned an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice. The next step was a bachelor’s degree, and while he was also accepted to the University of Bridgeport and Southern Connecticut State University, he opted for the longer commute to Western Connecticut State University because it offered a dedicated Division of Justice and Law Administration.

“My goal was to get to law school with little to no debt,” Smith said. “My tuition at WCSU enabled me to get as far as possible while spending as little as possible.”

It wasn’t just the cost savings that enabled Smith to realize his dream — it was the support he received from faculty, his family and his church that led him to where he is now as a practicing attorney with Miller, Rosnick, D’Amico, August & Butler, P.C. in Bridgeport.

“I graduated with my bachelor’s in Justice and Law Administration in 2015 and I still remember all the professors I had at WCSU, especially Professor of Justice and Law Administration Terrence Dwyer,” Smith said. “He and I made a connection as soon as I met him, and he was always available to answer my questions about the steps needed to become a lawyer such as taking the LSATs and what was required by the Law School Admissions Council.”

Dwyer not only answered questions, he also encouraged Smith to keep trying when his first attempts at the LSATs fell short, and he challenged him repeatedly to defend his personal statement for law school applications, by asking, “Since failure is always looming, how do you know being a lawyer is a guarantee?” Smith’s response: “Because I want it badly.”

Smith said that in addition to the classroom instruction he received at WCSU, he was profoundly impacted by seeing faculty who enjoyed their work, believed in their students and supported their students’ visions of themselves.

Professor of Justice & Law Administration Terry Dwyer with Raneil Smith after his UConn Law School commencement.

“I talked with Professor Dwyer as much as I could as we walked from class to our cars,” Smith recalled. “He had a huge impact on my life and his belief in me gave me inspiration and kept my dream alive. When I was having a tough day at UConn Law School, he would tell me he wouldn’t allow me to quit. He was just as emotionally invested in my vision as I was.”

Smith earned his Juris Doctor from UConn Law in 2019 and was admitted to the Connecticut Bar the same year. His first job was in the Public Defender’s Office in Derby before he transitioned to personal injury. Both jobs have provided him the opportunity to “speak up and advocate for those who are unheard or can’t speak for themselves” — the reason he wanted to become a lawyer in the first place.

Professor of Justice & Law Administration Terry Dwyer walks with Raneil Smith after his UConn Law School commencement.

On the day of his law school commencement, Smith walked and talked with Dwyer in a parking lot as he had while a student at WCSU. His professor had come to see him graduate and celebrate the fulfillment of a dream. “It was like old times,” Smith said. “Only now, we were both lawyers in the parking lot.”

Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality  education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.